Productivity Research Conference  4th – 5th September 2025 Find out more

A diverse community of leading experts, policymakers and practitioners

The Institute’s key research themes are led by ten academic partners spread across the UK.

Working closely with policymakers

We’re a UK-wide research organisation exploring what productivity means for business

Businesses are crucial to solving the UK’s productivity problems.

Why does productivity matter?

Productivity Puzzles Season 1, Episode 1 was released on Wednesday, 26 May 2021

Why does productivity matter? In this episode, host Professor Bart van Ark talks to three esteemed economists – Andy Haldane, Dame Kate Barker and Professor Nick Crafts – who explain what productivity actually is and why it matters to everyone.

They discuss why UK productivity has slowed down since the 2008 financial crisis, creating a rising gap between the UK and other advanced economies in Europe. They also explain why increased productivity is important for raising living standards – drawing on lessons from the industrial revolution, how it has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and what critical things can be done to manage the post-crisis challenges.

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About

Season 1 of Productivity Puzzles is sponsored by Capita and brought to you by The Productivity Institute.

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